As an Illustrator and Lead Concept Artist serving in a variety of roles from author to project manager I have been blessed with the opportunity to master a unique array of skills. My experience includes 3D, 2D, orthographic (facebook), and mobile graphics contributing to 6 published games, 11 published books, and a variety of websites, logos, and other art commissions. Cultivating a versatile style allows me to accommodate a broad spectrum of projects, and results in a highly original product. My media options include digital paint, animation, flash, vector, traditional oil, acrylic, graphite, and watercolor. I love to illustrate in a soft and saturated style that gives a sense of realistic volume to images that require suspension of disbelief. My specialty is art that references meaningful aspects of culture, science and nature in an accurate, symbolic and educational way.

* BA in Computer Animation (3DStudio/AfterEffects) and Multimedia from The Art Institute of Colorado (accredited)

Games Workshop, LOLapps, Syfy, FastPath Learning, JSA, National Jewish Research Center, Hero's PETS, Bookpeople Literary Camps, CBAY Books, BookShelf Press, Gilt Edge Publishing New Zealand, and MJA Publishing Ltd. New Zealand.

Brandi November Lyons
Austin, Texas 78703

I am seeking to start an ongoing relationship with a publisher, not only as an illustrator, but potentially as an author/illustrator/app creator. My current projects is a proposal for an illustrated mid-grade novel/cartoon series in an app friendly format with a transmedia proposal to include  a trading card game as a storytelling aide.

Summary:
Illustrating professionally since 1996: 6 published games, 11 published books, and a variety of websites, logos, and other art commissions. Thirteen years of freelance commercial art (especially vector art), traditional oil on canvas portraiture, children's book illustration and web graphics. Since 2009: Lead Concept Artist of an art outsourcing studio creating assets for games and mobile apps.
Bachelors Degree in Computer Animation (3DStudio/AfterEffects) and Multimedia from The Art Institute of Colorado (accredited)
Clients: Games Workshop, LOLapps, Syfy, FastPath Learning, JSA, National Jewish Research Center, Hero's PETS, Bookpeople Literary Camps, CBAY Books, BookShelf Press, Gilt Edge Publishing New Zealand, and MJA Publishing Ltd. New Zealand.

Current Position (June 2010 – Present) : Senior Concept Artist
Meta 3D Studios meta3dstudios.com A game asset creation studio.
A variety of roles: Project Management, User Interface Design, Orthographic Game Assets, Art Direction, UVW texture maps, Website Branding, Illustration, Game Design, Character Design, Proposals and Manuscripts, Viseme Generation, Instruction and training new artists.
* RavenShire Castle by LOLapps: Illustration of highly stylized painterly assets and internal project manager. Trained new artists to achieve advanced techniques.
* Syfy Channel's Monster Island by Sneaky Games: Concepts, Illustration, and testing of 2D game assets including Minions, Bosses, Icons, Armor, and animated Trophies with multiple states in Flash CS5 within a strict 12 week time frame.
* Fantasy Kingdoms by Sneaky Games: Concepts, Illustration, and Animation of 2D and 3D game assets including animated creatures, buildings, crops, props, artifacts and relics with multiple states in Flash CS3.
* CruiseTime by A Little Entertainment: Concepts, and Illustration of 2D game assets in Flash CS5: 25 ship environments, 112 snap in rooms, and 31 gift items. I personally completed 6 detailed cruise ship environments 432 - 694 room grid size, and 52 individual snap-in room environments.
* Read & Succeed: StarCrosser by FastPath Learning: Concepts and illustrations for educational game, 50 Prize pages, Line art for 250 graphic novel pages.
* King's Table for the Nintendo DS (in production): Cover art and title design and illustration.
* Baby So Beautiful 3D Unity based game by JSA: On this project I worked independently supporting a team of 3D modelers, animators and programmers. I concepted and developed Flash and 3D Unity UIs in Adobe Illustrator CS5, including avatar creators, ecommerce, and system/UI design for connecting immersive living and shopping environments with multiple prop, food, and clothing inventories and mini-games. I also designed, wire-framed, and developed all the graphics for the website and logo. A large part of my design and illustration for this project was in the form of UVW texture maps: Furniture, painted panoramas for view from windows, room interiors, posters, decorative art, decals, fabric patterns, and hundreds of adult/child clothing and shoe textures.
* MiniMaya (February 2011 to Present) Internal Project: Concept/Game Design document for a social RTS game world based on real geographical regions. Players start with an orthographic home territory where they collect and train pet avatars to perform actions to earn XP and other rewards. Side-scrolling levels full of harvest-able assets connect the home territory to culturally themed neighbor and common territories.
*Block Kids (in pre-production) cartoon series, trading card game and graphic novel app. Transmedia proposal for award winning New Zealand team to compete in 2012 Pan Asian Television Awards Pitching Session. Includes character designs and manuscript.

Education
* Art Institute of Colorado BA, Computer Animation and Multimedia 1997 – 2001
Accredited Bachelor's program: 3D Studio MAX, Adobe Creative Suite, traditional cell animation, live studio direction, fine art, video editing, HTML and JAVAscript hand-coding, stop motion animation.
1 year Tuition Scholarship to attend The Art Institute of Colorado.
1 year Advanced Placement awarded for design portfolio from AVS vocational program.
* AVS vocational 2 yr Certification, Commercial Art 1995 – 1997
This is a unique program that starts with basics like photo-mechanical transfer and duplicating newspaper copy by hand with rapidograph pens and advances through the entire history of the graphic design industry, building a diverse portfolio of design work on the way.
Silk Screening, Typography, Hand Lettering, Marker Rendering, Rapidograph Pen Illustration, Matting, Framing, Logos, Desktop Publishing.

Previous Experience:
Art Director for BookPeople Literary Camps (April 2009 – Present)
*Jedi Training Camp, Camp Half Blood and Ranger's Apprentice Literary Camps.
*Book Release Party for "The Last Olympian" chariot featured on Rick Riordan's blog.
*Prop Design and Illustration "The Diary of H.G.Wells" for Camp Half Blood 2009-2012 hand drawn white on black paper renders of characters, buildings and artifacts..
* Illustrated journal prop for "The Ranger's Apprentice" Literary Camp 2010.
*Conceptual Design for Greek Mythology themed cabins to be built at McKinney Falls.
*Prop Design and Illustration for "The Ranger's Apprentice" Literary Camp 2010.

Illustration and Design for MJA Publishing Wellington, New Zealand (Jan 2009 – Present)
Design and Vector Illustration for Spelling Under Scrutiny posters utilized in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Indonesia and China. Digital Illustrations for education apps. Manuscripts and Illustrations for educational children's books and graphic novels.

Events and Instore Marketing/Displays for BookPeople (Feb 2009 – Jan 2010)
Digital illustration, Marketing, Displays, Web banners and Events Marketing for BookPeople in Austin, Texas. BookPeople Catalog game themed illustration set October 2009. Events Posters, and Web Banners for Author Events including public speaking and introduction of authors and celebrities.

Children's Book Author/illustrator for Gilt Edge Publishing New Zealand (June 2008 – Jan 2010) Character Design, Proposals and Manuscripts:
- 8 part science fiction graphic novel series in development for Spelling Under Scrutiny with Gilt Edge Publishing and MJA Publishing Ltd in New Zealand.
- Fully illustrated "Five Buzzy Bees" Go For It readers.
- Fully illustrated "Shona and Shay Save the Sea" Go For It readers.
- Fully illustrated "Grace's Neighbors" Go For It readers.
- Fully illustrated "Cora and the Firestorm" Go For It readers.
- Cover illustrations for Sci Fi & Adventure Compilations for "Go For It" Readers.

Tournaments and Teaching for Games Workshop (Feb 2003 – Jan 2004) Houston, Texas
Running WarHammer tournaments, teaching miniature painting and terrain building workshops, and guiding new players through their first experiences playing WarHammer and WarHammer 40K. . . . and also won an internal model painting contest.

Freelance Art & Design 1996 to Present
viewable on The Big Idea:
http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/work/resumes/36847-brandi-november-lyons

Websites:
- Branding and website for Herospets.com
- Graphics and content for Meta3dstudios.com.
- Branding, user interface, wireframe, and splash-page background illustration for BabySoBeautiful.com

Cover Art and Book Illustration:
- Cover "The Emerald Tablet" Cbay Books, Austin, TX.
- Cover "The Navel of the World" Cbay Books, Austin, TX.
- Cover "Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate". Cbay Books Austin, Texas.
- Cover "Fairview Felines". Blooming Tree Press Austin, Texas.
- Fully illustrated "Five Buzzy Bees" Go For It readers. Gilt Edge Publishing, New Zealand.
- Fully illustrated "Shona and Shay Save the Sea" Go For It readers. Gilt Edge Publishing, New Zealand.-
- Fully illustrated "Grace's Neighbors" Go For It readers. Gilt Edge Publishing, New Zealand.
- Fully illustrated "Cora and the Firestorm" Go For It readers. Gilt Edge Publishing, New Zealand.
- Cover illustrations for Sci Fi & Adventure Compilations for "Go For It" Readers. Gilt Edge Publishing, New Zealand.
- Adept Press Rendered fantasy and horror illustrations for RPG Rulebook.

Scholarships

*1997 - $12,000 USD Tuition Scholarship to attend The Art Institute of Colorado.
*1997 - $12,000 USD Advanced Placement toward Bachelor's Degree awarded for design portfolio from AVS vocational program.
*1997 - $6,000 USD Tuition Scholarship to attend The Savannah College of Art and Design.*1992 - $600 USD Tuition Scholarship to attend classes in the public art program at the University of Denver.

Contests and Art Exhibits
*August 2008 Featured artist in Affordable Arts Show at TSB Bank Arena Wellington, New Zealand.
*April 2008 Featured artist in the heART Original Art Gallery, New Zealand.
*Sep 2007 Tattoo Flash Biography of Austin (6 pieces) series exhibited in businesses within Austin, TX.
*Mar 2004 Target Corporation BullsEye Dog (4 pieces) series on permanent display at location 1326.
*Jul 2003 Games Workshop Headquarters National Figure Painting Contest (2 pieces) Prizewinner.
*Dec 2001 National Jewish Research Center Got Milk? (21 pieces) series commissioned for on site gallery exhibit.
*Sep 2001 Dark Millennia Gallery Denver Grand Opening of Gallery with exhibit of 10 paintings.
*1992 -1st Place National PTA Reflections Program State Art contest.
*1992 -3rd Place National PTA Reflections Program National Art contest.
*1991- 1st Place Books Give Us Wings State art contest.
*December 8,1991 - Featured in The Sunday Denver Post Contemporary Art Section at age 12.